DOW Jones has reported that Google was in the process of taking over Apple inc in an “erroneous” hiccup that mystified readers and shook the stock market.
The story describes a “surprise” move that was struck between Google CEO Larry Page and the late Steve Jobs before the Apple co-founders’ passing that ignited the deal.
Dow Jones CEO, William Lewis said: "Dow Jones regrets the erroneous headlines published on its Dow Jones Newswires this morning between 9:34 and 9:36 AM ET.
“The items, which were never intended for publication, were accidentally published as part of a technology test.
“I take today's inadvertent and erroneous publication of testing materials extremely seriously.
He also told Engadget: “While immediate corrective action has been taken, I have also ordered a review of news and technology processes in this area.”
Rumours that the stock market index had been hacked were dispelled after Steve Severinghauss, Jones’ director of communications told Gizmodo “we absolutely were not hacked”.
The technical error resulted in a ludicrous story stating Google acquiring its biggest competitor for $9billion (£6.8billion) and that each Google shareholder would be entitled to nine shares of Apple stock.
In a bizarre quote, Google employees are stated to have said “yay” when they found out they were moving to “Apple’s fancy headquarters”.
The news story prompted a brief spike in Apple share’s as prices rose from $156 (£118) to $158 (£119) before slumping back down again in the two minutes the story was published.
The fallacious bid comes at a time Apple has over $260 billion (£196 billion) in cash reserves.
After months of rumours and speculation, Google finally lifted the lid on its new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones last week.
These devices replace Google's current lineup of call makers, adding new features and improved specs.
In addition to launching a tech battering ram on Apple’s iPhone line, the company also announced Google Home Max, a speaker with a build in virtual assistant that targets Apple’s recently announced HomePod in both price and functionality.